BURLINGAME — Not leaving another fatal accident on the train tracks to chance, community members came together Thursday to call for rail safety improvements in the wake of the death of a 13-year-old boy.

“It’s up to the community to decide what can we do to avoid this tragedy again,” said Gene Condon, the Traffic, Safety and Parking Commission chair Thursday. “This is the first step for that to happen. Trains are faster and quieter now.”

Residents and Caltrain officials met to discuss the ongoing problem of people illegally crossing the tracks near the Broadway train station. The meeting also saw anger directed at the rail system.

“Caltrain’s actions in the last few years have decreased the safety in the neighborhood surrounding the tracks,” said Burlingame Elementary School District trustee president Marc Friedman. “We have read and heard about many options that Caltrain was considering that would improve safety. But evenwhen budgets are tight, spending money on saving lives should be Caltrain’s top priority.”

It was near the Broadway station that Burlingame Intermediate School student Fatih Kuc was killed by a southbound train while heading home to nearby Northpark Apartments on April 18. He was dropped off by a SamTrans bus at Sanchez Avenue and California Drive.

Caltrain’s chief operating officer Chuck Harvey said Thursday night he eliminated the bus stop at Sanchez Avenue and directed SamTrans bus No. 49 — which picks up BIS students at the school — to stop at Broadway and at the Morrell Avenue crosswalk. He also wants to reroute the bus to go down Carolan Avenue in the next few months. And city officials will also look at removing the Sanchez Avenue crosswalk at California Drive.

Harvey said he won’t commit to putting up a fence near the station until he hears from other cities along the railroad corridor about their needs for strategic fencing in areas notorious for trespassing. He also said he can’t promise to fence Burlingame first after Caltrain evaluates the requests.

Improving the Morrell Avenue crosswalk at Carolan Avenue is also in the works. The city plans to add lights at the crosswalk, while Harvey added that the small pedestrian bridge at Morrell will also be improved next year once renovation at the Burlingame Avenue train station begins.

Caltrain is trying to educate the community and students with the program, “Operation Life Saver,” and Burlingame Police Chief Jack Van Etten promised there would be tougher enforcement and more of a police presence at the Broadway and Burlingame Avenue stations.

So far, Kuc has been the seventh fatality on Caltrain tracks this year. Some of the residents who attended the meeting knew the seventh-grader.

Condon’s son played soccer with Kuc.

“My son was really angry about this whole thing,” Condon said. “The first loss is (always) a tough one. Fatih’s pains will not go fruitless.”

Staff writer Christine Morente covers Burlingame, Millbrae, San Bruno and Hillsborough. She can be reached at (650) 348-4333 or at cmorente@sanmateocountytimes.com.